Machine for rolling steel billets into merchant bars



Sept. 28, 1943. .1. B. SHAW 2,330,52

MACHINE FOR ROLLING STEEL BILLETS TNTQ MERCHANT BARS- Filed Nov. 28.1940 5 Sheets-Sheet i INVENTOR.

- Sept. 28, I943.v J. B. SHAW MACHINE FOii ROLLING S TE EL BILLE'IS INTOMERCHANT BARS Fil bd NOV. 28, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. gw fi/vvRD/KQ NW/ C's/60w &

Sept. 28, 1943. J. B. SHAW MACHINE FOR ROLLING STEEL BILLETS MERCHANTBARS Filed Nov. 28. 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR.

Y/W I J0 %Yam 654w,

A Ira/M5? J. E. SHAW MACHINE FOR ROLLING STEEL BILLETS INTO MERCHANTBARS Sept, 28., 1943.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 28, 1940 jp//w 33/60.

Patented Sept. 28,. 19 43 f monmnron M E H Blaine Shaw; I, ApplicationNovember as; isia'seruhc. mm f I -6Clalms. (ClsM), -j- In theaccompanying drawings:

v This invention relates to metal rolling and more particularly to animproved machine for rolling steel billets into merchant bars. At thepresent time, billets are rolled into merchant bars by passing themthrough rolls mounted one above another in a supporting frame, the barsbeing successively passed back and 'forth between the rollsso that theyare progressively reduced in thickness and elongated until they aretransformed into bars of the desired length and'transverse dimensions.The billets. ,while being treated, are manually transferred-from one setof 7 rolls to another and this requires the services of skilled workmenas well as requiring constant attention so that the bars will betransferred at the proper time.

' Therefore, one object of the invention is to provide a machineincluding rolls mountedin an upright frame and conveyors so arrangedthat the billets and the partially formed merchant bars may be passedbetween the rolls by action of the Fig; 1 is a semi dlagrammatic viewshowing the 1 i.

' improved apparatus in top plan.

Fig. 2 is a view on the linel-Z 01m. 1, look- 5 ing at the inner end ofthe conveyor assembly at v a one side of the frame carrying the mainrolls.

-* Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showingithe vertical compressing rollsof Fig; 2, and, associated elements of the machine. v N

Fig. 91 is an endelevation oi the frame in which the main} compressing'rolls are rotatably mounted. k v

Fig. 5 is a semi-diagrammatic view intop plan of a modified form' ofapparatus.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic viewln elevation of the modified form ofapparatus.

conveyors and automatically transferred from 1 one set of conveyors toanother for movement in a reverse direction between companion rolls,this 'being repeated until the merchant bars are tween companion rolls.1

plane, the pushers at the proper time to accomplish shifting oftheimproved pushers for formed and finally discharged from a deliveryconveyor. 7 i v Another object of the invention is to so arrange theconveyors that after, a billet or partially formed merchant bar haspassed between certain companion rolls it may be shifted transversely.

of the conveyor upon which it rests and onto a lower conveyor by meansof which it is passed be:

the invention is to provide shifting" the partially formed merchant barsacross delivery conveyors and onto feeding conveyors located in a lowerbeing automatically operated Another obi ect of bars.

Another object of auxiliary rolls mounted in cooperating relation tocertain of the feed rolls for compmsingthe bars in a horizontal plane asthey are fed toward the main rolls which apply pressure in a verticalplane} It will thus be seen that the bars will be compressedhorizontally as well as vertically and very eiiectively' reduced inwidth and thickness as they are elongated toform merchant bars.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter which is verystrong in construction and capable of applyingpowerful compression forces when it is in use.

the invention is to provide- In the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in Figs. 1 through '4, themachine or. apparatusconsistsbriefly oi. a main set of rolls indicated in general by thenumeral i, in Fig. l, and aseries of conveyors 2. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 'l,arrangedat opposite sides of the main rolls so that duringtransformation of a billet 8 into a merchant bar 8,'it may besuccessively fed between the rolls, asindicated by the arrows in Fig. l,and progressively reduced in width and thickness. while being elongated.During a portion of its travel, the partially formed merchant her alsopasses between rolls IO and ii mounted vertically over the conveyors land 6. It will be understood that the number of conveyorsprovided willbe in accordance with the number of main rolls. Pushers 3' and I"serveto transfer the partially formed bars from conveyors 3 and! toconveyors l and 6.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that there have been provided .fourmain rolls which are I individually designated by the numerals l2, i3,

i4 and it These rollsfare rotatably mounted in a; frame li'ofconventional construction used forv mounting rolls in a rolling milland'conventional means. indicated in general by the numeral H, isprovided for causing the rolls to apply predetermined compressingforce'as a billet or partially formed .bar is passed between the rolls.

The adjoining rolls turn in opposite directions,

asindicated by the arrows in Fig. 4, so that during transformation of abillet into a merchant bar, it will be moved between the rolls byrotamanually transferred from one set of rolls to another and this islaborious and expensive, as the bars are heavy and a number of men arere- I quired to operate a'machine.

In my improved machine or apparatus. the

tion of the rolls. At the present time, such rolls arevin use but thepartially formed bars must be conveyors and the vertical rolls aremounted as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Referring to these figures, andparticularly to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the conveyors at each sideof the main rolls are in stepped relation to each other and in laterallyoffset relation to each other so that during formation of a bar it maybe transferred from an upper conveyor, such as the conveyor 3, to alower conveyor 4, for passage between the main rolls I3 and I4 andsimilarly transferred to the conveyor 6 from which it passes between therolls I4 and I5 to the discharge conveyor 1.

The carriage I8 is formed of strong metal beams and is equipped withwheels I9 resting on rails of a track 20 so that the carriage may beshifted along the track and dispose the carriage and the conveyorscaniied thereby, in proper position relative to the furnace 2I and thebank of main rolls which is shlftable along the supports or tracks 22into and out of position in front of a furnace. By this arrangement, therolling machine may be used for a number of furnaces built in side byside relation to each other and shifted along the tracks intocooperating relation to one furnace while billets in another furnace arebeing heated.

An upper platform 22, formed of strong metal beams or the like, issupported in elevated position by a suitable number of pillars or posts23 and 24 extending vertically between the carriage and front and rearportions of opposite ends of the platform. The upper conveyor 3 extendslongitudinally of the platform and may consist of an endless carriertrained about rollers or consist of a suitable number of rollers 25having shafts journaled through bearings or other suitable mountings 26.The roller at one end of the conveyor 3 has its shaft 21 provided with asprocket driven by a chain 28, which in turn is driven by a sprocket 29carried by the shaft of a motor 30 which is mounted on a bracket orplatform 3| and it will be readily understood that when the motor is inoperation the conveyor will be actuated to assist in moving the billetor bar longitudinally as it is fed between the upper rolls I2 and I3 ofthe bank of main rolls.

After the billet 8 has been passed from the conveyor 2 between the upperrolls I2 and I3 and onto the conveyor 3, it is to be transferred to theintermediate conveyor 4 which is the second feeding conveyor, andreferring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the partially formed bar isnow designated by the numeral 8a and has been flattened and elongated byaction of the rolls I2 and I3. This transfer of the partially formed baris accomplished by means of the pushers 3' which are mounted back of theconveyor 3 and while two of these pushers have been shown in Fig. 1, itis to be understood that additional pushers may be employed if sodesired. Each pusher is mounted on a support 32 carried by the platform22 and consists of a cylinder 33 in which is slidably mounted a plunger34 which projects forwardly from the cylinder and, at its front end,carries a head or arm 35 which extends downwardly with its lower end inposition to engage the confronting side face of the unfinished bar 8a.Fluid under pressure is supplied to the cylinder from any suitablesource and controlled by conventional means, and when the pushers areactuated the partially formed bar will be shifted transversely of theconveyor to the forward edge thereof where it will slide downwardlyalong the chutes 36 and onto the conveyor 4 between the vertical rolls Iand II which extend upwardly therefrom, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Thechutes or skids 36 are provided with arms 31 which are slotted, as shownat 38.

and through the slots of the arms pass bolts 39 carried by the platform22 and passing through slots 40, so that the skids may be adjusted andsecured in such a position that the partially formed bar 8a will beguided over the tapered upper ends of the rolls I0 and drop into thespace between the rolls Ill and I I, as indicated by dotted lines andfull lines in Fig. 2.

The conveyor 4 has a suitable number of rollers 4| upon which thepartially formed bar rests and these rollers are rotatably mounted inbearings 42. The vertical rolls I0 and II have depending shafts I0 andII journaled through blocks 43 and, in order to hold the blocks and theedging rolls in predetermined spaced relation to each other, thecarrying rolls I0 are equipped with adjusting screws 44 which bearagainst the blocks carrying the rolls II. The blocks are slidablebetween guides 45 and, in order to force the rolls l0 toward the rollsII, the block carrying each roll II] is engaged by a threaded rod 46which passes through a bearing 41 and carries an adjusting wheel. Whenthe wheel is turned in the proper direction, the rod 46 will be shiftedforwardly and the rolls l0 and II held in such spaced relation to eachother that, as the bar 8a is moved toward the inner end of the conveyor,

it will be acted upon by the vertical rolls and reduced in thickness. Asthe bar reaches the inner end of the conveyor, it is engaged between therolls I3 and I4 and delivered from these rolls onto the conveyor 5 as abar 8b of increased length and reduced width and thickness. The rolls I0and H are power driven from a motor 49 which is mounted on a base 50carried by the carriage I6. The shaft of the motor is coupled to a driveshaft 5| from which rotary motion is transmitted to one set of verticalrolls by gears 52 and 53 and rotary motion is transmitted from thisshaft 5| to the corresponding shafts of the other set of edging rolls bya sprocket drive 54. A sprocket chain 55 transmits rotary motion fromthe shaft 5| to the rollers 4|.

The conveyor 5, which is the second receiving conveyor, is similar inconstruction to the conveyor 3 and the elongated partially formed bar817 is discharged from this conveyor by the pushers 5 so that it slidesdown the chutes or skids 36. and onto the third feeding conveyor 6between the vertical rolls extending upwardly therefrom. This feedingconveyor is at the front of the carriage carrying the conveyors 2, 5 and6, and at such a level that the bar will pass from the conveyor andbetween the rolls I4 and I5 from which it is discharged onto theconveyor I as a finished merchant bar 9. The conveyor I may be of anyconstruction desired and serves to deliver the flnished bar onto a truckor the like for transport to a place of storage.

From the foregoing, the operation of the apparatus will be understoodand it will be readily 35 seen that the apparatus will only require theservices of one attendant. During operation of the machine, it is merelynecessary for the attendant to direct a billet from the furnace onto thefirst feeding conveyor 2, which delivers it to the upper rolls l2 and I3from which it is discharged as the partially finished bar 8a onto thereceiving conveyor 3. From this conveyor, the bar is discharged onto thelower feeding conveyor 4, which is at such a level that the bar will bedelivered to the rolls I3 and I4 and, as the the receiving conveyor 5 asthe partially finished bar 8b. This partially finished bar is dischargedfrom the conveyor 5 onto the third feeding conveyor 6, which is feed thebar to the lower rolls l4 and I5 between which it passes and isdelivered as the finished merchant bar 9 onto the conveyor 1. As thepassage of the billets and the partially fin-' ished bars between themain rolls is entirely automatic, no manual handling of the billets andpartially finished bars is necessary, thus reducing the cost and alsomaking the work easier for the attendant.

In Figs. 5 and 6 there has ing machine of a modified construction. Inthis embodiment of the invention, billets are passed between the mainrolls five times instead of three times, as they are converted intomerchant bars. Referring to these figures, it will be seen that theconveyor 3a is of greater width than the feeding conveyor 2 and thatwhen the billet passes between the upper main rolls l2 and [3 onto theconveyor 3a, it is discharged therefrom onto the feeding conveyor 40,between the vertical rolls Illa and I la. The partially formed bar isthen passed between the rolls l3 and I4 onto conveyor 5a and rests uponthe lifters 56, by means of which it is raised to an elevated positionand again passed between the upper rolls and onto the conveyor 3a. Thepartially formed bar is now again discharged from conveyor 3a across theskid 36a onto the conveyor 4a between the vertical rolls Illb and llband is passed between rolls I3 and I4 onto the conveyor 50, from whichit is discharged onto the lower feeding conveyor 6 between the verticalrolls l and II thereof. The conveyor 6 and the vertical rolls associatedtherewith are of the same construction previously described and fromthis conveyor the partially formed bar passes through the lower rolls Mand 15 onto the discharge conveyor 1 as a finished merchant bar, Thismovement of the billets and the partially formed bars is clearlyindicated by the arrows in Fig. 5. The manner in which the billet isreduced in thickness and elongated to form the finished merchant bar isalso shown in the diagram of Fig. 6. Referring to this figure, will beseen that the billet 8 first passes between the upper rolls l2 and 13which compress it and elongate it to form the partially formed bar 8awhich is delivered to the second feeding conveyor and passed between therolls to again compress the bar and elongate it, as shown at 8b. Thispartially formed bar is then raised and passed between the upper rollsso that it is again reduced in thickness and elongated as shown at 80.The bar in its partially finished state 80 is then again delivered tothe second feeding conveyor and passed through the rolls l3 and M toelongate it and further reduce its thickness, as shown at 8d, and thebar in this state is delivered onto the third feeding conveyor, fromwhich it is passed between the lower rolls l4 and I and onto the finaldischarge conveyor as the at the proper level'to been shown arolldifferent elevations, feeding and receiving driven conveyors locatedat each of said elevations for moving the billets-in a direction to orfrom the horizontal rolls, the receiving and successive feedingconveyors being laterally spaced apart, means bodily movable in adirection transverse to the movement of the billets effected by saidconveyors associated with certain of the receiving finished merchant bar9. By properly adjusting the pressure exerted by the main rolls and thevertical rollers, the extent to which the billet is elongated andreduced in thickness may be readily regulated.

Having thus claimed is:

1. An apparatus for converting billets into bars,

described the invention, what is which comprises a four-high bank ofmain horizontal rolls providing reducing passes at three conveyors'forshifting partially formed bars from said receiving conveyors intoposition to fall to succeeding feeding conveyors, and verticallydisposed rolls associated with such feeding rolls for receiving betweenthem partially formed bars dis-- charged from the receiving conveyors bysaid pushers and for guiding the same through the succeeding pass ofsaid rolls. 1-.

2. An apparatus for converting billets into bars, comprising a four-highbank of main horizontal rolls providing reducing passes at threedifferent elevations and at each of two of said elevations having twohorizontally spaced apart reducing passes, driven feeding and drivenreceiving conveyors for said reducing passes at each of said elevationsfor effecting movement of said billets to and from said main rolls,mezms bodily movable in a direction transverse to the direction ofmovement of said billets effected by said conveyors associated withcertain of the receiving conveyors for shifting partially formed barsacross said conveyors, and vertically disposed rolls associated withcertain of said feeding conveyors for receiving partially formed barsdischarged onto said conveyors by said pushers, one of said feedingconveyors being provided with two sets of said vertically disposed rollscorresponding to the two reducing passes between said main rollsassociated with said feeding conveyor.

3. In an apparatus for converting billets into bars by passing thebillets through reducing passes provided by rolls at differentelevations, a driven receiving conveyor disposed at the same elevationas one reduced pass of said rolls for effecting movement of billets fromsaid rolls, a feeding conveyor disposed at a relatively lower elevationand in alignment with a further reducing pass of said rolls forefiecting movement of said billets to said rolls, means bodily movablein a direction transverse to the movement of said billets effected bysaid conveyors for pushing partially formed bars transversely of saidfirst conveyor and into position to fall onto said second conveyor, aplurality of pairs of rolls disposed on driven vertical axes associatedwith said second conveyor and in position to receive the partiallyformed billet bar guide the same through the succeeding pass of saidfirst-mentioned rolls.

4. In an apparatus for convertin billets into bars by passing thebillets throu h reducing passes provided by rolls at differentelevations, a driven conveyor disposed at a suitable elevation forreceiving a'partially ,fo'rmed billet from one reducing pass of saidrolls, a second driven conveyor disposed at a suitably lower elevationfor feeding the partially formed billet bar.to a succeeding lowerdisposed reducing pass of said rolls, spaced contact arms mounted formovement in a direct'on transverse to the first-mentioned conveyor forcontacting a billet bar there on and pushing said billet bartransversely of said conveyor towards said second conveyonla pluralityof pairs of rolls for said second conveyor disposed on driven verticalaxes and in position to receive the partially formed billetbardischarged from said first conveyor and to guide therebetween and l thesame through the succeeding reducing pass of said first-mentioned rolls.

5. In an apparatus for converting billets into bars by passing thebillets through reducing passes provided by rolls at diflerentelevations, a driven conveyor disposed at a suitable elevation forreceiving a partially formed billet from one reducing pass of saidrolls, a second driven conveyor disposed at a suitably lower elevationfor feeding the partially formed billet bar to a rolls, spaced contactarms mounted for movement in a direction transverse to thefirst-mentioned conveyor for contacting a billet bar thereon and pushingsaid billet bar transversely of said conveyor towards said secondconveyor, a plurality of pairs of rolls for said second conveyordisposed on driven vertical axes and in position to receive thepartially formed billet bar discharged from said first conveyor and toguide the same through the succeeding reducing pass of saidfirst-mentioned rolls, the vertical axes of each pair of rolls beingadjustable and movable to a position to effect a reduction of thepartially formed billet bar,

6. In an apparatus for converting billets into succeeding lower disposedreducing pass of said bars by passing the billets through reducingpasses provided by rolls at different elevations, a driven conveyordisposed at a suitable elevation for receiving a partially formed billetfrom one reducing pass of said rolls, a second driven conveyor disposedat a suitably lower elevation for feeding the partially formed billetbar to a succeeding lower disposed reducing pass or said rolls, spacedcontact arms mounted for movement in a direction transverse to thefirst-mentioned conveyor for contacting a billet bar thereon and pushingsaid billet bar transversely of said conveyor towards said secondconveyor, a plurality of pairs of rolls for said second conveyordisposed on driven vertical axes and in position to receive thepartially formed billet bar discharged from said first conveyor and toguide the same through the succeeding reducing pass of saidfirst-mentioned rolls. the axes of each of said pairs of rolls beingadiustable relative to each other and enabling the partially formedbillet bar to be maintained on its narrow, edge in passing through thesucceeding pass 01 said first-mentioned rolls.

JOHN BLAINE SHAW.

